I love thee, O my God, and desire to love thee every day more fervently. For thou art beautiful and amiable above the sons of men, and deservest an affection equal to thy own adorable and incomprehensible excellences. Equal to the marvellous instances of goodness, of which thy unspeakable condescension in working out the eternal salvation of mankind, hath given such plentiful, such astonishing proofs. O let that fire descend into my heart, which burns with a bright and holy flame, never languishing, never to be quenched. May every part of me feel the kindly heat, may it expand itself, and burn up every other passion: that all the dross of vain and polluted passions and desires being entirely consumed, I may be turned all into love, and know no other object of that love but thee alone, my dearest, and most lovely Saviour.

May this glorious sight make me forget my sufferings, soften, and even recommend my present troubles, leave me no longer grovelling upon the dust, but enable me to leave earth and its vain objects behind. So that I may then look down with disdain upon the tumults and dangers, the follies and miseries of this world: and with a mind perfectly composed, may rest myself upon thee, the true, the holy, the undisturbed peace of every truly pious and devout Christian.

MEDITATION LVII.

Safety in hte Death of Christ.

WHEN any sinful imagination solicits me, I will straight take sanctuary in my Saviour's wounds. When the flesh weighs down my soul, the remembrance of his sufferings shall break all my fetters, and set me free by heavenly thoughts again. When the devil lays his snares to entrap and destroy me, I will flee for help to the mercies of my dying Lord, and the enemy shall soon feel himself disappointed and retire from me. If lust be kindled in my breast, and stir my body to rebellion, I will reflect on the agonies of the Son of God for my sake, and those impure fires shall be quenched. In any sort of suffering or distress I can find no comfort, no relief comparable to the consideration of my afflicted Saviour in his wounds I can lay me down and sleep securely; these are my defence and the support of my soul in any temptation that assaults me, in any affliction that befalls me.

Christ died for us; surely then the bitterness of death is past, and nothing can be so grievous to human nature, that it may not be mollified by this consideration. In that death of his, is all my hope and trust; I plead no other merit, I ask no other refuge; this is my health, my life, nay, my second and better life, my resurrection from the dead. His mercies are great, immeasurably great, and how worthless soever I may be in myself, yet while I am looked upon as having a share in these, I cannot be

rejected or despised. For his mercies prove him willing to save, and therefore his power is no longer a terror, but my best security,

I am indeed a very grievous sinner, and my conscience upbraids me with numberless and heinous transgressions against God and his most righteous laws; but notwithstanding these reproaches of my own breast make me sometimes uneasy and afraid, yet do I not despair; because where sin hath abounded, there grace hath much more abounded. Nay, I must not, I dare not despair; for this were to bind one fault upon another, and to aggravate all the wickedness I had ever been guilty of before. For he that despairs of forgiveness for his offences, does in effect declare, that God is not merciful; and by distrusting, robs him of his beloved attribute, which is the highest outrage and injustice that any man can possibly commit against God. He does, as much as in him lies, bear testimony in contradiction to that love, and truth, and power, which are the only foundation, on which all hopes are built. For how could I hope had not his love adopted me, had not his truth promised, had not his power redeemed me? Let then my foolish misgivings murmur within me never so importunately, let them ask me never so insultingly, what can I pretend to, or how dare I presume to suppose, that any deserts of mine should procure me so excellent, so very disproportionate a reward; still my hope stands firm, and I shall reply with assurance, as St. Paul had left me a pattern, I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded, that he who made me his own son by adoption, loves me exceedingly; that he who is true, will be as good as his word, and that he who is Almighty can lie under no temptation, not to

make it good; he can perform his promise to the uttermost, and the very promising shows him as willing as he is able to do it.

My sins are not only great, but many; but neither their quality nor their number terrifies me, when the death of my Saviour comes into my mind; because I know they cannot in either respect outweigh his sufferings upon my account. The nails and spear proclaim my deliverance, and attest my reconciliation with Christ, provided I sincerely love him. The soldier opened me an entrance into his side, and into the clefts of those wounds I can retreat with safety. If any man be afraid of his condition, let him learn to love; for this love will be sure to cast out all anxious and desponding fear. Our Redeemer stretched out his arms upon the cross, by that posture to signify his readiness to receive sinners into his embraces, when they flee to him for succour. In those dear arms I delight to live, and in them I desire to die. There can I with a light and joyful heart sing with the Prophet, I will magnify thee, O Lord, for thou hast set me up, and not made my foes to triumph over me. Our kind Saviour bowed his head when he gave up the Ghost, and in so doing stooped down to meet and to kiss his beloved ones. And every one of us may be properly said to kiss our Lord, every time we feel our hearts sensibly wounded, and devoutly affected with his love.

And shall not this be the constant effect of our meditations upon it? Yes sure, my soul, since thou art honoured by the impress and character of thy great Maker, since thou art ransomed with the most precious blood of thy Redeemer, since thou art betrothed to this Divine spouse by faith, endowed

with his Spirit, adorned with his graces, and advanced to the dignity of angels in his gracious designs for thy everlasting felicity; do thy diligence to love him, who hath so wonderfully loved thee: set thy heart upon him, who sets his upon thee; seek him who hath so solicitously sought thee; whose goodness hath prevented thee, and is the cause of thine. He is the merit, he the reward, he the fruit and the end of thy love. Conform thyself therefore in all things to him; let his care excite thine, his leisure entertain thine, be clean with the clean, and holy with the holy. Such as thou pretentest thyself before God, such apprehensions it is plain thou entertainest concerning him. If thou believest him full of meekness, and goodness, and mercy, thou canst not but conclude, that he expects all his children should be gentle and kind, compassionate and humble. Strive to be like him then, and let this likeness prove, (for nothing else can prove it,) that thou dost truly love him, whose compassion brought thee out of the mire and clay, and drew thee back from the bottomless pit of destruction.

Choose him for thy friend, and prefer him before all other friends, who when all other confidences forsook and betrayed thee, was the only one that stuck close to thee in thy extremity. In the day of thy death, when no friend else will or can do thee service, he will not desert thee: then will this kind Saviour be sure to stand by thee, and save thee from the reproof of him that would eat thee up; deliver thy soul from those roaring lions that wait ready to tear it in pieces, and carry it up on high through unknown ways; bring thee to the heavenly Jerusalem, and place thee amongst angels